Bouvard, Western Australia

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Bouvard
MandurahWestern Australia
Population: 371 (2001 census)[1]
Established: 1980s
Postcode: 6210
Area: 2.0 km²
Location: 22 km from Mandurah
LGA: City of Mandurah
State District: Dawesville
Federal Division: Canning
Suburbs around Bouvard
Dawesville
Yalgorup NP Bouvard (Harvey Estuary)
Herron

Bouvard ( 32°40′S, 115°37′E; post code: 6210) is the southernmost suburb of Mandurah, Western Australia, and is located about 97 km south of the state capital, Perth. Its Local Government Area is the City of Mandurah.

Despite the name, Port Bouvard Estate is not located in Bouvard - it is at Wannanup on the Dawesville Channel ("the Cut") 10 km north of the suburb.

Contents

[edit] History

Bouvard is named for Cape Bouvard some 5km to the west, which itself was named by Nicolas Baudin, who sighted the cape en route to Rottnest Island from what is now Bunbury in 1802-1803, either after Charles Bouvard (1572-1658), a French chemist,[2] or Alexis Bouvard (1767-1843), an astronomer and director of Paris Observatory.

The Park Ridge estate was developed in the 1990s, and other estates have been built or proposed. Bouvard Coastcare, a volunteer group dedicated to maintaining the fragile coastal and dune environment, has won awards and grants for its work.

[edit] Geography

Bouvard consists of a narrow strip of land along both sides of the Old Coast Road (the main route between Mandurah and Bunbury and part of National Highway 1) between Yalgorup National Park and the Harvey Estuary. The western part consists of sparsely populated rural residential land with large lots separated by bushland buffers, while the eastern part follows more traditional coastal suburban development patterns along the estuary.

At the ABS 2001 census, Bouvard had a population of 371 people living in 249 dwellings, one-third of whom were elderly, and nearly all of whom were from Australia, the United Kingdom or New Zealand.

[edit] Facilities

Bouvard has a boat ramp, tavern and accommodation (Park Ridge House and Yalgorup Country Lodge), as well as walking trails and a couple of small roadside shops and a fuel station along the Old Coast Road. There are no schools within easy reach of Bouvard, and the nearest shopping centre is at Falcon.

[edit] Transport

Bouvard is not served directly by public transport, but the 165 from Mandurah terminates 3 km from the suburb in Dawesville, and a Transperth school bus stops at the Bouvard Tavern. All services are operated by the Public Transport Authority. Private operator South West Coach Lines also stops upon request at the Bouvard Tavern on its Perth to Bunbury service operating several times a day.

[edit] Politics

Bouvard is home to wealthy holiday home owners and retirees, and strongly favours the Liberal Party at both federal and state elections.

[edit] References

  1. ^ 2001 Census, Australian Bureau of Statistics
  2. ^ Marine Life Society of South Australia Inc. (December 2001). 2001 Journal. Retrieved on October 28, 2006.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: -32.682° 115.620°